Calling upon his experiences in interfaith organizing, the Rev. Mark Stringer, Minister of the First Unitarian Church of Des Moines, IA, will consider what gets in the way of UUs being “a religion which, like sunshine, goes everywhere” and will inspire us to more often be the religion that reaches out in love. There will be special music by the GA Choir with director Mary Neumann, UU Church of Reading, MA, and the GA Band.
Childcare Will Be Provided At All of our Summer Services
The Rev. Susie Phoenix who was ordained here at FPC and also served as our Director of Religious Education, will return to led us in wonderful worship.
Two Sundays a month our Spiritual Conversations Group meets, reads a poem together, and shares thoughts. This morning Rick King will lead a Spiritual Conversation's Worship Service. Come and be prepared to be surprised and delighted by how poetry can open us to unknown parts of ourselves and others.
Coffee, juice and healthy Breakfast Snacks (not donuts this year!) served by the Committee on Ministry starting at 9:45 in front of the Church will proceed our annual outdoor service (weather permitting.) Worship will be led by Rev. Tom Rosiello with our staff, choir, drummers and other volunteers helping.
The Church Picnic including an Ice Cream Social will take place immediately following the service. Bring a side dish to share. Meats and veggie burgers will be provided. Cap off your picnic lunch with an ice cream sundae!
We bring our regular season of Sunday Morning Worship in our sanctuary to a close with our beautiful Flower Communion ritual. Please be sure to bring a cut flower or two with you to church. We will bring them all together in one bouquet symbolizing the unity in our diversity. In doing so, we will recognize the many blessings, gifts and talents we each bring to this community. In gratitude for all we receive from others in our church community we will leave with the flower that another person brought.
Our Adult choir, under the direction of Mike Pfitzer and Children’s Choir under the direction of Pat Sorn, will be providing beautiful music. In addition, we are so pleased to welcome Mexican pianist, Mauro Ledesma, who will perform several Mexican piano works and participate in our message for all ages. Sanghee Kim will lead us from the piano and organ as we sing some favorite hymns. This is a very meaningful service that really communicates what is at the heart of our faith tradition. If you have a friend or neighbor who you think might be interested in Unitarian Universalism, this would be a great service to invite them to attend.
Led by guest minister, The Rev. Eric Hausman.
From ancient admonitions of Cicero to the contemporary poetry of Mary Oliver, the virtue of gratitude has come to play a key role in liberal theology. Come join us as we seek new ways of understanding this powerful yet often misunderstood virtue.
Rev. Eric Hausman is the minister of First Parish of Fitchburg, MA. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School, he began his ministry serving a cluster of Unitarian congregations in Germany. Since his return, Rev. Eric has served congregations in Massachusetts and North Carolina. In addition to parish ministry, he has a special interest in systematic theology and the impact of technology on spirituality. When not working, he enjoys goofing around on the guitar and singing with his young family.
Today our youth will do it all ~ from music to readings and from preaching to praying. The service will focus upon the idea that how we treat other individuals can create peace in the world. This is an important Sunday for our youth and I hope you will be there to support them. You will amazed (or maybe not, if you know this incredible group of kids) at what a wonderful worship experience they can create.
Missa Gaia by Paul Winter
This service will feature our choir (Mike Pfitzer, director), and the Stow Chorus (Barbara Jones, director) joined by several jazz musicians. The service will focus on our interconnectedness with the earth and a theology that teaches us to save the planet. Rev. Tom Rosiello will deliver a reflection on the piece and there will be opportunities for the congregation to sing both hymns and chants (especially from the Native American tradition) as well as part of Missa Gaia. Don't miss this incredible service!
This morning we will celebrate our Religious Education Program with an “RE Extravaganza.” Again this year RE Committee members and supporters will harness their acting abilities and present a little play with and important message about religious education. We will also recognize all our teachers and RE volunteers and thank them for their service. Rev. Tom Rosiello will preach a sermon on "What Makes Our Religious Education Program Different and Why That Is So Important." The "Extravaganza" will continue at the coffee hour following both services. This will be a fun Sunday morning with an important message.
This Sunday many members of our church will be on retreat at Ferry Beech and will participate in worship there. Therefore, we will only have one service in Stow at 11 AM. Instead of a sermon, Rev. Rosiello will respond to questions. These questions will be collected during the service or you can submit one in advance by email. Also we will be singing some favorite hymns. If you have a favorite that we have not sung in a while, please email your request by Wednesday April 24. Send hymn requests and questions to minister@fpc-stow-acton.org.
